Tag Archives: vacation

The waters that surround an island often contribute to its character. It’s the Pamlico Sound, the Atlantic Ocean’s quieter counterpart, that sets the slower pace of life on Hatteras Island with its calm waters, saturated sunsets, endless views, and open starry skies.

A low, sandy barrier island, Hatteras Island sits 30 miles “out to sea” from the mainland of North Carolina. The “sea” between the island and the mainland is actually the Pamlico Sound. Part of a large interconnected network of lagoon estuaries, the sound is part of one of the biggest estuaries in the United States, second only to the Chesapeake Bay. Alive with waterfowl, fish, crabs, shellfish, marsh grasses, seals and turtles, the sound also serves as an important habitat for spawning fish like striped bass, shad and herring. Even larger species like dolphin can occasionally be found spending time there. Fed by inlets from the Atlantic Ocean and freshwater rivers to the west, the sound water is a brackish mix of salt and fresh water and is shallow throughout, with an average depth of 5-6 feet. These shallow depths, paired with the soft sandy floor, make it an attractive place for kids to play and swim and have helped make Hatteras Island a world-class kiteboarding and watersports destination.

A Soundside Vacation

Vacationer Kathleen Holmes explains why her family chooses to rent a home on the sound: “…not only are the views wide-open and amazing, but our family likes to spend all day on the water, boating, fishing, crabbing, stand up paddleboarding and swimming. Some of us may head to the ocean for a while, but we all come home to enjoy dinner together every night in the glow of the setting sun. Then we soak in the hot tub underneath the millions of stars visible in the unpolluted night sky. It’s truly a giant breath of fresh air coming from New York City.”

Some soundfront vacation homes have their own dock or walkway and a number of neighborhoods on the sound have a community sound access or boat ramp. Surf or Sound Realty manages premier vacation homes, while homes on the sound may be valuably priced there is no shortage of amenities, like elevators, private pools and hot tubs.

Surf or Sound Realty is known for offering some of the Island’s most spectacular oceanfront homes, but the soundfront experience is one that’s equally incredible. No matter where you stay on Hatteras Island the ocean is never far away.

Would you rather be sitting in the warm sand than shoveling snow? Download one of our custom images to use as your cover photo and let everyone know, “I’d rather be at the beach!” Just click on the image to view it at full size, right click to save and upload it as your cover photo on Facebook!

The process of finding the perfect Outer Banks vacation home has naturally evolved over the years. Instead of just bookmarking pages in a catalog, now you can walk through the house with an interactive floor plan, compare your favorite homes side-by side, and invite family members all over the country to leave comments and vote on their favorite houses while saving all of the information in your online account.

When redesigning the Surf or Sound website we thought long and hard about the best ways to help people discover the perfect vacation home for their family. We wanted to go beyond the typical web search and make finding a vacation home both exciting and intuitive. We had custom features built, like the ability to view the homes in your search result in a gallery-like grid or on a map with optional aerial overlay to get the best idea of the home’s exact location, interactive maps that let you find things to do and places to eat near homes you’re thinking of renting and a total cost calculator that lets you determine the total cost of your reservation and see the price per person or per bedroom with just one click!

Check out this video that takes you through the different ways of finding your home on our website:

Shop Hatteras Offer:10% OFF and FREE shipping until December 19 when you mention Shop Hatteras! Just browse the website at: www.buxtonvillagebooks.com – make your selections and call 252-995-4240 to place your order with the discount. Shopping locally? Get 10% off through Christmas Eve when you mention this offer!

So many vacationers have a special place in their hearts for Buxton Village Books. After all, what better time is there for reading than your beach vacation? Channel the island charm of your favorite independent bookseller and browse shop owner Gee Gee Rosell’s hand-picked selections online. Indie booksellers specialize in choosing the best books for every season. Shop Small, Shop Local, Shop Hatteras where we’re All Small! Here are a few she just loves, perfect for gift-giving or for yourself this Holiday season.

Southern food and food stories are bound together. This book will reflect people, regardless of where they come form, who claim Southern food as their own, whether for a lifetime or a mealtime. People feel deep affection for their local community cookbooks, especially those well-worn volumes that serve as a timestamp of a particular place and time. No other type of recipe collection is more generous, gracious, and welcoming. Before we give you a bite, we Southern cooks have to tell you about what we’ve made. Southern food is evocative, so our food and food stories are bound together in our communities. A memorable Southern cookbook holds good food and a good read, the equivalent of a brimming recipe box plus the scribbled notes and whispered secrets that cover the tips, advice, and stories that a generous cook shares with family members, friends, and neighbors. These recipes bring all sorts of cooks, recipes, and stories to a common table to bring readers a cookbook filled with good things to eat that have something to say.

Good Dog– True Stories of Love, Loss and Loyalty – A collection of stories from David DiBenedetto and the editors of Garden & Gun

Garden & Gun magazine’s aptly named Good Dog column is one of the publication’s most popular features. Now editor in chief David DiBenedetto and the editors of Garden & Gun have gathered their favorite essays as well as original pieces for this must-read collection of dog ownership, companionship, and kinship.
By turns humorous, inspirational, and poignant, Good Dog offers beautifully crafted stories from such notable writers as P. J. O’Rourke, Jon Meacham, and Roy Blount, Jr. From the troublemakers who can’t be fenced in to the lifelong companions who never leave our sides, this one-of-a-kind anthology showcases man’s best friend through all of his mostendearing (and maddening) attributes.

As the owner of one of the world’s most elaborate sea glass collections, Mary Beth Beuke gets to talk about these prized ocean gems on a daily basis. Unfortunately, with each passing day, sea glass becomes more and more difficult to find, making the hunt more of a challenge to the seeker–especially one with limited experience in sea glass hunting.
There are several reasons why the hunt is so important to the sea glass seeker. Some find their Zen moments in the solitude and beauty of the hunt. Some collect to add color to their life. The history, mystery, and discovery of sea glass are also strong forces that draw collectors to shorelines around the world, looking for these pieces of physically and chemically weathered frosted glass.
Whatever your reason for wanting to learn about and start your own collection of sea glass, the window for doing so is closing as pieces are becoming more elusive due to a growth in sea glass popularity and a decrease in recent glass bottle production.
In “The Ultimate Guide to Sea Glass,” Beuke provides information that will help first-time seekers start new collections and veteran hunters learn more about their current sets. Beuke shares her experiences in gathering her own collection via photographs of vibrant and rare pieces, as well.

U.S. News and World Reports has ranked the Outer Banks as the Top Family Beach Vacation in the USA!
It’s official! The Outer Banks is the place to come to truly vacation!
Miles and miles of vast, unspoiled beaches await you on this slender stretch of barrier islands. There is beauty around every bend and twist, whether it’s Corolla’s wild horse population, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, or the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. There is something to pick everyone’s interest and invite you to explore the #1 Family Beach in the USA!
Experience world-class fishing, as well as the #1 surfing and kiteboarding destination on the East Coast. The Outer Banks also abounds with rich history and exciting exhibits!
Relax, explore, adventure, and immerse yourself in the Outer Banks! Afterall, we’re #1!
See you in the Outer Banks!

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Welcome to Surf or Sound Realty's Blog. Our blog is all about the Hatteras Island experience, from first class fishing and kiteboarding, to lighthouses and pirates, and everything in between. Our entries aim to enable you to get acquainted with Hatteras Island in preparation for your upcoming vacation, and introduce you to the people, the history, the attractions, and the off-the-beaten-path tidbits that make this 70 mile stretch of seashore something special.